The calanques can be best seen from a boat and we did the 'Essentiel' tour of 2h15m via the croisieres-marseille-calanques.com people. There is also a longer tour of 3h15m and the tickets and tour can both be found on the right hand side of the old port as you look out to sea.
The beach itself was very beautiful and the water was crystal clear, but it is exhausting to get there. After a 45min bus ride from Marseilles center, you had to walk and "climb" for about 40min through the zone which was a national park (If I remember it right). If you have to possibility to go there by ship it would be perfect, otherwise this trip is more suitable for nature-lovers.
Take the boat to Pointe Rouge and then the bus No 19 and no 20 to Les Goudes or farther on. Then you have a spectacular view on the sea and the calanque.But take care that your shoes are good for walking over stones and hills. Flip Flops not recommended!!Mit dem Boot bis Pointe Rouge dann weiter mit Bus Nr 19 und 20bis Les Goudes(kleines Fischerdorf am Cap Croisette) oder bis zum Ende. Wunderschöne Aussicht auf Buchten und Inseln, gut zum Wandern mit entsprechender Ausrüstung.
Great boat trip.....gorgeous scenery ....... First trip to France and did not realize this area in the south was sooooo beautiful and rugged!,,,
In the square, of the port of Marseilles,you catch a boat, it's not a huge boat ,it's almost like a speed boat, its 20 minute ride from the port to the island made notorious from the film The Count of Monte Cristo and the movie The Man in the Iron Mask. It is an island off the coast of Marseilles which you can see which held prisoner's, a lot of Protestant prisoners where held there as well as criminals. you get to experience seeing all the cells, you can take a walk with headphones which tells of the story or you can just explore on your own. magnificent, it looks like a castle, it has a small restaurant, great great little souvenir shop. You could actually do the castle, the Chateau if Prison in an hour. The boats come and go on the hour and it's very inexpensive. On the way back you can see the beautiful coastline and going you can see the beautiful coastline in the city and then you enter the port into the city of Marseille.... it's wonderful, very inexpensive and a fun time.
After taking the 21 bus to Luminy you can hike to the Calanque. It's a really beautiful hike through the park and you have some great views.
It is an interesting coastline with some natural harbors, but nothing extraordinary. For locals there would be some exciting destinations to explore.
Do not miss the Calanques, any of them. This one is of an easier access: you can reach it by car. During weekends, hotter days and vacations/ holidays all traffic is forbidden. TIP: go on a weekday and reach it by car. In the GPS set it to "route de calanques" and follow the directions. Is you decide to walk, pack light and be prepared for a long and high way up and down (we hiked and it WORTH the effort, but...)
This place was only 40 min walk from my grad school and as a girl who loves the outdoors, me and my friends spent many weekends afternoons out there. even though it is one of the most beautiful places in souther France, the place we never too crowded. so many great views and places to swim! Definitely my favorite place from my 1 year stay in the second biggest city in France!
Among the best views I have every seen. This place was a blast. The hiking to get there was a lot of fun. Swimming in the Mediterranean was amazing.